In another audacious solo triumph, Tadej Pogačar captured his second consecutive rainbow jersey amidst throngs of cheering fans at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali on Sunday.
Storming to the top of the final cobbled Côte de Kimihurara and crossing the finish line after 66km of racing alone in warm temperatures, the salt-stained Slovenian raced straight into the arms of his support crew, celebrating what he said was one of the toughest races of his career.
"It was my big goal of the season to defend the jersey. The course was one of the toughest that I did in the Worlds, so it was a big goal and I'm really happy that I ticked it off," Pogačar told the assembled media at the Kigali Convention Centre.
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"It was amazing the whole day. It was super hard at altitude, and it was really hot, the sun was burning, and it was really tough, but it was an amazing day, and I'm happy that we could pull it off as a team and win the jersey."
The elite men's 267.5km race featured a 15.1km city circuit, nine at the start and six at the end, along with the additional challenge of a mid-race extension loop that boasted three more climbs; Côte de Péage, which is 1.8km at 5.9%, the decisive Mont Kigali was the longest climb at 5.9km at 6.9% and peaked at 1,771 metres altitude, and the famed Mur de Kigali, which was only 400m but features unruly cobbles and was punishingly steep with an average of 11%.
The route was touted as one of the toughest in World Championship history, due to its 5,475m of elevation gain, but one that was well-suited to Pogačar's strengths.
In what was probably the most predictable attack of the eight days of racing at these Worlds, Pogačar accelerated over the route's mid-race centre-piece climb, Mont Kigali, with 104km remaining.
While he initially took two of his trade UAE Team Emirates teammates - Mexico's Isaac del Toro and Spain's Juan Ayuso - with him, they were both dispelled, leaving the Slovenian to embark on an epic 66km solo romp once back to the city circuits, where he desperately tried to stay ahead of solo chaser Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) in the last 20km.
"I think the parcours was designed for this [attack], but I was hoping a small group would form; like with Juan and Del Toro, it was a perfect combo. I was like, 'OK, this is a dream, no? To ride together as far as possible as a trio,'" he said.
"Juan had a problem soon on the Mur de Kigali over the cobbles, and Del Toro had some stomach problems in the race. So I was left alone quite early, and solo like last year, fighting with myself. I'm so happy I made it," Pogačar explained his hopes for the initial breakaway.
He said that he had several moments of doubt after each lap of the city circuit and that the course felt increasingly challenging with every lap.
"The climbs were getting harder and harder, and also on the downhills, it was not so fast, and I still had to pedal. The energy resources were going toward the end. It was so hard, those few final laps. Of course, you doubt yourself a bit, but you have to push through and hope for the best," he said.
Pogačar's main rival, Evenepoel, struggled with two bike changes during the race. The first incident occurred after he hit a pothole on the road, and his seatpost slipped, causing him to be in an awkward position that led to leg cramps. He wasn't able to go with Pogačar's attack for that reason, and swapped his bike for a new one at the entry back onto the city circuits with 89km to go
He was then forced to switch bikes again with 75.5km to go and was visibly frustrated as he mounted his chase once more. He ended up finishing the race 1:28 behind Pogačar with the silver medal, while Ben Healy (Ireland) finished with the bronze medal at 2:16 back.
"I knew. I found out when I was already deep into the laps. I got the information that he was in the group, not in the group, in front of the group," Pogačar said.
"But you don't exactly know because you don't have radios like in the other races. You don't know much, and you just focus on the gap, how many riders are there, who is riding. I saw that he changed bikes two times, so that is a pretty impressive ride by him also."
Pogačar said that overall, it was a successful trip to the landmark Rwanda World Championships, which are held in Africa for the first time in its more than one hundred-year history.
"Since I arrived here, I've really enjoyed my whole stay," he said." I did some good training with my teammates from the national team, we were getting ready for today to give it our best, and try to make the race and take it in our hands.It was an incredible experience altogether, and let's say it was a successful week."
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